KUDADADEKI,NO COMMENT 'We couldn't sleep, it was 4am and we opened a bottle of wine... I don't even drink': £161m Euro winners are married with two children from small Scottish seaside town'We're not scared of this, we're just going to have fun' say lottery winners ""

* MKILETEWA HAPA NA FLORA LYIMO DESIGNER *

• 'We're not scared of this, we're just going to have fun' say lottery winners
• Colin and Christine Weir, from Largs, in Ayrshire, are jackpot winners
• They live in three-bedroom detached house and drive two Suzukis
• Couple had kept their mega win a complete secret since Tuesday's draw
• They will earn £5m a year in interest alone - or £10 every minute
• But world's biggest ever lottery winner Andrew Whittaker scooped £195m in West Virginia, U.S., in
  

The couple who scooped the £161million EuroMillions jackpot were today named as Colin and Christine Weir - a retired pair from a small seaside town in Scotland - who had kept their win a complete secret since Tuesday's draw.

The husband and wife, from Largs, in Ayrshire, collected the bumper cheque which will see them enter the record books for Europe's largest ever lottery win.

The couple, who have been married for 30 years and have two children, both suffer from disabilities. They said it 'felt like a dream' to scoop the mega prize.

Christine, 55, said of her new mammoth bank balance: 'We're not scared of it - we're going to have so much fun.'

Colin and Christine Weir celebrate by opening a bottle of bubbly. Christine revealed she opened some wine after winning the jackpot - even though she doesn't drink'

All smiles: Colin Weir, 64, and his wife Christine, 55, who have scooped the £161million jackpot said it 'felt like a dream' to have won'

Sealed with a kiss: Colin and Chris Weir appear before the media. the couple, who have two adult children, have been married for 30 years'

They said today they would to travel to China and Australia and buy houses and cars for their children. Their daughter, Carly, 24, is studying photography at college and their son, Jamie, 22, works in a local call centre.
After discovering they had won, Christine Weir said she and Colin, 64, couldn't sleep - and it was too late to phone Camelot to say they were the winners of the bumper rollover prize.
'We just sat up. We were so full of adrenaline we couldn’t sleep. We couldn’t really do anything. We were tickled pink,' said Christine.
'It got to about 4am and dawn was breaking. We could see the sun coming up. It was magical but we still couldn’t sleep;
We even opened a bottle of wine – and I don’t drink. We had to wait until 9 o’clock until the lottery line opened.'

The down-to-earth pair said today they would to travel to China and Australia and buy houses and cars for their children;

Christine, 55, and Colin, 64, holding their walking sticks, wave during a press conference today. Christine was forced to leave her job in nursing three years ago;

When asked how they felt about being just below the Beckhams on the UK’s rich list, Colin joked: ‘We need to try for another kid.’
The couple live in a three-bedroom detached house and own two Suzuki cars. Mr Weir said he plans to keep his - although his wife said she would get a new one.
She added that they would have preferred not to go public but did not think they could keep their win secret.
John Cantell, 64, who lives two doors down from the Weirs, said: 'They have lived here since these houses were built 18 years ago.
'I know them for about 14 years but haven't spoken to them since the weekend and had no idea they won the money. I am stunned.

'They are quite quiet and don't often come out of their house. They are extremely down to earth. I think it is great that they have won the money.
'I don't think they will go over-the-top with the money. I think they will be quite conservative.'
Mr Weir who has worked as a TV cameraman and studio manager for 23 years, said: 'When we first realised we had won, it felt like a dream. Everything went into slow motion. But it feels like a good thing; something we should not to be afraid of but for us to enjoy with the children.
'All our lives we have lived within our means and been comfortable. We appreciate that this money brings about a whole new life for us and our family.

Colin and Chris Weir suddenly find themselves the centre of attention in Largs'

Modest: Mr and Mrs Weir's three-bedroom detached home with their two Suzuki cars parked outside in Largs, Ayrshin'

WORLD'S BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS

While the Weir's £161m jackpot is the biggest ever lottery win in Britain their prize is still a distance off the world's largest jackpot.
Andrew Whittaker, from West Virginia, U.S., scooped £195million in 2002 in the biggest ever win.
Elaine and Harold Messner from New Jersey shared the world’s largest lottery prize of $390m when they won the Mega Millions draw in March 2007. However, the prize was shared with an anonymous truck driver from Georgia.
A single ticket claimed by eight co-workers from a Nebraska meat processing plant won $365m in February 2006.
Larry and Nancy Ross from Michigan and Joe and Sue Kainz from Illinois shared the $363m jackpot from The Big Game in May 2000.
A $240m Mega Millions prize pool was shared by two winners from Georgia and New Jersey in January 2011.

'We now have so many new opportunities to explore but we won't rush it. For us, it will be a gradual change with choices to be made.'

Mrs Weir worked in nursing for 37 years but she retired three years ago because of poor health. She progressed from being a ward nurse to a clinical nurse manager, specialising in mental health.

She said the couple were having a normal night in front of the television on Tuesday evening until she checked the EuroMillions result on Teletext at around midnight.

She said: 'We had bought five Lucky Dips, as the jackpot was now so big. I started circling the numbers I had matched but wasn't doing very well. Then on the fifth line, all the circles seemed to join up.

'I had all of them but couldn't believe what I was seeing. I checked them three or four times before going back downstairs to find Colin. He knew immediately by my face and tone that something was up.'

The couple are already thinking about new homes and cars for themselves but are most excited about the travel opportunities they can enjoy.

Mrs Weir went on: 'For Colin, holidays have never really appealed with travelling being such a hassle for him but first-class could definitely persuade him.

The McColl's store in Largs, Ayrshire, where Colin and Christine bought their £161million winning ticket'

This is the small Scottish town of Largs in Ayrshire where £161million winners live in a three-bedroom detached house

Colin and Christine Weir come from the small coastal town of Largs, in North Ayrshire, it was revealed today'

 

LARGS: THE HOME OF BRITAIN'S BIGGEST EVER JACKPOT WINNERS'

• Located on the west coast of Scotland the seaside town has a population of 11,241and is 33 miles from Glasgow.
• In Scottish Gaelic the name means 'the slopes'.
• It boasts the largest yacht marina in Scotland.
• Home to the national training centre for football coaches in Scotland it is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence.
• Sir Thomas Brisbane (1773 -1860) was born in Largs and became the Governor of New South Wales in Australia giving gave his name not only to Brisbane in Australia, but also to Brisbane St, Brisbane Road, Brisbane Glen Road, the Brisbane Queen Festival, Brisbane House Hotel and Brisbane Taxis in Largs itself.
• The average age of men is 45 years and for women is 49 years.
  
• The Pencil Monument commemorates the Battle of Largs in 1263 when King Haakon of Norway was defeated by the Scottish.
  
• Each September tourists flock to the town for the Viking Festiva.

'We have both always wanted to see the Great Wall of China and Colin would love to stand at the foot of Ayers Rock in Australia.

'We also love art galleries so this gives us the chance to visit those in Paris and in Russia. These are all things we thought we would never see.'

Last night the lottery organisers confirmed the winning ticket from Tuesday's draw had been validated and the monster jackpot paid out.

With their astonishing win they would be able to buy two private Caribbean islands, and still have more than £30million left over.

However, this morning Camelot revealed what everyone wanted to know, that the winners of the massive prize lived in Scotland.

Jokers claimed they had won the £161million jackpot, including father-of-two Gareth Quinn from Belfast, who tweeted: 'I am not sure whether to go public or not after winning £161million in the EuroMillions – what do you think?'

The couple have displaced former postal worker Angela Kelly from East Kilbride who became Scotland's biggest winner in August 2007 when she scooped £35,425,411.80 in the EuroMillions jackpot.

At the time the postal worker was also the UK's biggest Lottery jackpot winner but her win has since been topped.

The UK's previous biggest lottery winner chose to remain anonymous after scooping the £113million jackpot in October last year declining a spot in the limelight.

In the U.S., lottery jackpots are subject to tax, which does not apply to UK players, and most winners choose a significantly lower, one-off, lump sum payment, rather than receiving the full advertised amount in annual instalments.

In January, two players of the U.S. Mega Millions lottery shared an advertised jackpot of £236m, but each picked up £75m as a lump sum which was reduced to £56m after tax.

The last major British winners to agree to publicity were Nigel Page and Justine Laycock, from Gloucestershire, who in February 2010 broke the then UK record with a £56m win.

This latest win puts all previous payouts in the shade.

EUROMILLIONS COUPLE WARNED 'MONEY DOES NOT BRING HAPPINESS', BY LEADING PSYCHOLOGIST'

Winners: Colin and Christine Weir'lol.kweni nyie mapacha au """

People might think that winning £161 million would mean the end of their woes but a psychologist said today that the money is more likely to create problems.
Paddy O'Donnell, psychology professor at the University of Glasgow, said that winning such a large windfall creates an 'enormous disruptive effect' which can change friendships and family relations.
He said winners would experience an initial surge of happiness but that within a few months this would probably drop back to the level of contentment they felt before their windfall.
His comments came after Colin and Christine Weir scooped the £161 million jackpot on Tuesday night, the largest in Europe.
One of the challenges facing those who win huge sums is the experience of being catapulted into the league of the super-rich without the skills to deal with it.
Professor O'Donnell said: 'When you get £161million you can't improve your present life because you are disrupting your present life. You face questions like: should you live in a different part of town or abroad?
'But when you live in a wealthy area or abroad, how are you going to cope with the people you might meet in that environment? £161million doesn't give you the social skills to mix with Rupert Murdoch or Richard Branson.
'It's like marrying a prince or a princess: you still have to cope with the in-laws and you are in a social environment which is alien to you.'
Winning such a large amount can also strain friendships because the dynamic of the relationships shift.
Dealing with begging letters from friends and charities is likely to be another challenge, as is deciding how to spend or invest the money wisely.
Most people's happiness runs at a constant level and money does not have that much impact on it beyond a certain financial level, he said.
According to Prof O'Donnell, someone earning £25,000 a year would be more or less as happy as someone earning £250,000 a year.
He added: 'If you ask people how they would feel if they won the lottery, everybody says 'I would feel superb. I would be happy for the rest of my life,